Ex-Wissahickon Middle School teacher faces jail for improper contact with two girls

NORRISTOWN — Saying teachers are entrusted with society’s “most prized possessions,” a judge determined jail time is warranted for a once-revered Wissahickon Middle School teacher who broke a trust when he inappropriately touched two female students.

“They are entrusted with our most prized possessions, our children. If we can’t trust our children with a teacher, then frankly, I don’t know if we can trust our children with anyone,” Montgomery County President Judge William J. Furber Jr. said Tuesday as he sentenced former teacher Ronald Goldberg to several years of court supervision.

Goldberg, 66, of the 200 block of Towyn Court, Lower Gwynedd, was sentenced to 23 months of intermediate punishment, the first two months to be spent in the county jail, beginning March 24. When Goldberg is released from jail he will have to spend four months under house arrest and the remaining 17 months under probation. The judge tacked on an additional three years’ probation, meaning Goldberg will be under court supervision for about five years.

Goldberg previously pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of endangering the welfare of a child in connection with incidents that occurred between 2003 and 2009 while he was a teacher.

Advertisement

Goldberg inappropriately touched two of his female students, one during the 2003-04 school year and the other during the 2008-09 school year, according to the criminal complaint filed by Lower Gwynedd Detective Glenn Fowler.

The victims, who were in the sixth-grade, alleged the contact occurred while Goldberg was a language arts teacher at the middle school. The contact happened at the school, located at 500 Houston Road in the Ambler section of Lower Gwynedd, and the contact included Goldberg touching intimate parts of their bodies, according to the complaint.

A 15-year-old female reported Goldberg’s inappropriate contact to police in October 2011, and during the police investigation, a 20-year-old female came forward with similar allegations against Goldberg, according to the arrest affidavit.

Goldberg no longer works for the school district.

The victims and their parents, some of them weeping, clutched hands as the sentence was announced.

During dramatic testimony, a father of one victim looked at Goldberg and said, “My happy-go-lucky, smiling little girl, she’s gone. Essentially you killed my daughter,” referring to the emotional turmoil suffered by the girl in the intervening years.

Assistant District Attorney Jeremy Abidiwan-Lupo argued a jail sentence was necessary to send a message that such conduct by teachers will not be tolerated by society.

“They trusted this individual. They held him in high regard,” argued Abidiwan-Lupo, referring to the victims and their parents. “He violated that trust and took advantage of them. There is nothing (Goldberg) can do to make these two girls whole. Unfortunately, they will have to deal with this the rest of their lives.”

Defense lawyer Marc R. Steinberg sought probation for Goldberg, arguing Goldberg spent 38 years as a well-respected educator and tutor, had no prior record and was not a risk to reoffend, according to a psychological evaluation. Steinberg referred to supportive letters, written by former students and their parents, who affectionately referred to Goldberg as “Dr. G,” and who claimed he “inspired” students and “made the quest for knowledge fun and interesting.”

“You have a man that dedicated a significant part of his life, 38 years, to teaching and helping people raise their children,” Steinberg argued. “But for this situation, Ronald Goldberg, throughout his entire life, enjoyed only the finest reputation.”

Goldberg has surrendered his teaching certificate and will never teach again, Steinberg said.

Goldberg’s wife, Carole, pleaded with the judge not to send her husband to jail, claiming she has medical ailments and requires his assistance and cannot be alone.

“Ron is the backbone of my life. He is the most caring person I’ve ever known. I need him desperately because he is strong. He loves me,” Carole Goldberg testified, implying she did not believe the allegations.

But the judge, addressing opinions expressed in letters he received from Goldberg’s supporters that the crimes didn’t occur, reminded those in court that Goldberg admitted guilt.

“In the eyes and mind of the law and the court, it happened,” said Furber. “Dr. Goldberg is not the victim here. The two young ladies are the victims and I want to make that clear.”

Furber called the victims brave for reporting the conduct, adding, “It takes a lot of courage to do what these two young ladies did.”

While acknowledging Goldberg likely helped many students during his career, the judge added he was at a loss to explain why someone “so revered, so well-educated” would commit such crimes.

The Wissahickon School District issued a brief statement after Goldberg’s arrest last year.

“Dr. Goldberg retired from the district in June 2009 and has not been affiliated with the district since then,” district officials wrote, adding they cooperated with authorities.